My whole hand fits on my forehead. Although a part of my index finger perches on the arch of my brow, the bulge of my forehead accommodates my hand. It’s not exactly the largest forehead around, but it’s one that is spacious enough to make me want to cover it up. So, bangs, a side part or anything that tends to “occupy” my forehead is usually my go-to hairstyle. The presence of all that space had always meant I could and should cover it up. But thanks to Rihanna, these days my forehead greets you even before I do.
It seems that humans have decided that as long as space exists, it must be filled or occupied. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop” or “nature abhors a vacuum” have been coined by humans to buttress this point. They may indeed be true, but are sometimes just excuses that we use to fill spaces in our lives. And that’s why to us (or more likely speaking, just some), more space in a suitcase would encourage packing more items, or a bigger room would require more furniture. And even with our phones and their relatively large spaces, we download more apps, and are not bothered by the amount of pictures, music and e-books. This behaviour illustrates our purchase and consumption patterns and forms the pedestal for capitalism and consumerism.
“If we produce it, they’ll absolutely buy it”- is essentially the mantra that drives capitalism. Marketing schemes and other devices are then tailored to suit the consumer and egg him on to make a purchase. Unavoidably, consumerism rears its head as consumers realize that they can continue to purchase and consume without hindrance. In whatever quantity and quality, we just continue to purchase and consume. It’s like giving a child a crayon and leaving him in an empty room. He doesn’t think about the result of his expedition, only the thrill he experiences as the crayon touches the wall.
“The situation the Earth is in today has been created by unmindful production and unmindful consumption. We consume to forget our worries and our anxieties. Tranquillizing ourselves with over-consumption is not the way.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Whether it is out of shame, dislike, desire, or simply because we can, space for some reason tends to make us over-produce and over-consume, even if we don’t necessarily need to. Food especially falls into this category. We spend so much on food that we know we won’t finish. With that food that goes into the bin, is fuel used to transport the food, packaging for the food and most importantly, depletion of the soil resources used to grow the food.
In 2009, the refectory in UC Santa Barbara stopped the use of trays in serving meals. Prior to this, the tray held excess food that would eventually be thrown out. According to reports, students would load the 14 by 18” trays with excess food from the buffet and end up not consuming it, simply because the trays could accommodate all that food. After the ban in 2009, food wastage went down by almost 50%. This trend is not peculiar to the refectory at UC Santa Barbara. Our lifestyles and consumption levels, mostly supports this kind of wastage, not just with food, but other things too.
There’s a movement referred to as the “Tiny House Nation”. It’s a group of people who have decided to live in spaces less than 400 square meters. If you’re not sure what this means, think of it this way. Think of your bedroom now. Think of how you try to cram all your property into the “relatively” small space. Now picture that small space having a kitchenette, bathroom, and probably a living space. With these small homes come adventurous use of ladders, ingenious use of drawers and similar storage units. Unsurprisingly, there are reality shows about it.
A common factor for the homeowners, is usually the need to cut expenses tremendously while living a sustainable lifestyle. It is for the latter reason that they are sometimes referred to as sustainable living homes. That is, a lifestyle that reduces their use of natural resources, all in a bid to protect the earth through their careful purchases and consumption. The owners of these homes (at least most), swear that their expenses are reduced as a result of this. And it’s not difficult to understand why. A small home would hold only necessities of its inhabitants. Purchases are therefore made intentionally, with a real concern for how they are made, and the impact their use would have on the earth.
With limited space for more purchases, most tiny house owners are directed to the magic of “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. Naturally, purchases are reduced, and belongings are reused in a way that would curtail expenses. Basically, anything that gives the semblance of being beneficial to the earth instead of just taking away from it, drives the average tiny homeowner. Most of them for example, use a composting toilet. Because of the peculiarity of a tiny house (especially the locomotive ones), the general plumbing system associated with a normal house, would not work in this scenario. So instead, a composting toilet which collects excreta (i.e. number 1 and number 2) into two different buckets, and is often used as manure to replenish the soil is what these homeowners stick to. Talk about giving back to the earth.
Sadly, being marveled at one and living in it aren’t the same thing. The fact that they are really cute and its tiny space is incredibly versatile, might not compel most people (a group which I’m a member of), to leave their relatively spacious homes. But the sustainable living thing, that part works. And that’s what we should pay attention to- how we can live sustainably in our spaces.
We might act like babies with crayons, and go about our lives haphazardly without realizing that the way we consume and eventually waste, will affect generations to come. But one thing we are not, are robots. This means we can change our attitudes, and we can begin making choices to consume responsibly. So choosing to refuse plastic bags at supermarkets and finding new ways to use our already purchased items without buying them again can be and should be on our fingertips. You could (and probably already) have the means and the space to live a life that allows you purchase in a manner that you want. But in your purchasing, please consume responsibly for yourself, future generations and the earth.
“…because your life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.”
Luke 12:15
By Dolapo Femi-Oyekola.